Reza Aslan: Expert in Exile

An interview with Reza Aslan in the magazine Mother Jones:

In 1979, a seven-year-old Reza Aslan clutched his younger sisters hand as he and his family ran through the airport, fleeing an Iran entering the peak of the Islamic Revolution. They planned to return soon, but after Ayatollah Khomeinis hardliners consolidated power, their temporary exile became permanent in California. More than 30 years later, another revolutionary wave courses through the region. And Aslan, whos since emerged as one of Americas leading commentators on the Middle East and Islam, likes what he sees. “Across the board, what has happened is that the regimes in the region now understand that they can no longer just ignore the will of the people,” he says.